All in a Lazy Afternoon
by zosimos
Summary: Reverse'verse: Edward gets his work done the best way... by having someone else do it for him.


Edward lay sprawled out on the couch in his office, one leg hanging off the side and foot scraping the floor. He had his military jacket off, and was just wearing a black tee shirt on under it - his automail arm was laying over his eyes as he tried to block out the bright sunlight.

The steady scratch of pen nib on paper came from his desk. Rian sighed loudly as he closed another folder. "You know, if Captain Hawkeye comes back and catches me doing your reports again, it'll be both our asses?"

"Mm," Edward said. "She likes you. I'm the one she'll shoot at."

There were a few blessed moments of silence where Edward nearly dozed off and then Rian spoke again. "Seriously, how do you let them pile up like this? I don't know how you got any work done before I came along."

"Doesn't really matter, does it?" Edward murmured. He lifted his automail arm slightly and laid it across his forehead, scratching his stomach with his other hand. "Besides, you lost fair and square."

"There's nothing fair about playing cards with you," Rian muttered, flipping to the last page of a packet to sign Edward's name.

Edward smiled, even though Rian couldn't see it. The office was almost uncomfortably warm, bright with late afternoon sunshine. It was a lazy day, a catch-up day of sorts. All of Edward's morning meetings had been canceled or delayed, most of the officers had cut the day short. Captain Hawkeye had taken the junior officers in the garrison to the shooting range because they both had received failing marks on their marksmanship tests.

Edward really didn't envy them their instructor.

"So what are you doing with your week of leave?" Edward asked idly, jiggling the foot hanging off the arm rest. "Comin' to stay at my place?"

"As much fun as cleaning out your pathetic excuse for a bachelor pad would be, I'm going to visit my parents." Rian closed another folder. "Seriously, colonel, don't give me that look, your flat is an exercise in dust bunny breeding."

Edward had sat up on his elbows to look at Rian with a puzzled look on his face. "I thought you were an orphan, all your records state your parents died when you were five."

"They did," Rian looked down at the folder, an excuse to avoid eye contact with Edward. "I'm going to visit my adopted family."

"You have an-" Edward's face scrolled from confused to thoughtful. "And you didn't think it necessary to inform the military of this fact at some point?"

"If you recall," Rian muttered, "I wasn't planning on making the best impression."

"True," Edward said. "So, when do I get to meet them?"

Rian's head shot up, a horrified expression on his face. "WHAT."

"When do I get to meet them? I am your commanding officer and all-"

"I have not EVER heard you inquire about anyone else's family, colonel, and that's entirely inappropriate and NO YOU MAY NOT MEET THEM."

Edward laid his head back down. "I'll meet them eventually."

"No, you won't." Rian closed the last folder on the desk. "They hate the military, colonel, if they ever found out I joined up ..." He sighed, put his elbow on the desk and his chin in his hand. "I ran away. I don't know what I'm doing going back."

"'Cause they're your family," Edward said. "And family's important."

"I guess."

"Or you know, you could always stay at my flat for the week." Edward's grin was hard to miss. "We could have a lot of fun."

"It's hard to believe you were the one against this relationship in the first place," Rian said. He propped his chin in both hands and grinned at the reclining alchemist.

Edward made a snorting sound from the couch. "Well, lesson learned." He looked up when he heard the desk chair roll out from the desk, and watched Rian pile the completed reports into Edward's out box. Then he crossed the room to the couch where Edward was laying and looked down at him quietly.

Rian crouched down and kissed Edward gently. Edward smiled against his mouth, and when Rian opened his eyes and they parted Edward ruffled Rian's bangs with his flesh hand. "Will you see me off at the station?" Rian murmured.

The sadness flickered through Edward's eyes so fast that Rian nearly missed it. "You know I can't."

Rian knelt on the floor beside the couch and huffed. "It's not fair," he said. "When my contract comes up I'm dropping out of the military so I can be your boyfriend proper."

"Your certification isn't for another three years," Edward reminded him, still playing with Rian's hair. "But things will work out, I'm sure."

"And in the meantime, I can't even hold your hand in public," Rian said bitterly.

"Rian."

"I know," he sighed. "I just, I want to go on a normal date with you just once."

Edward's response was lost as they heard military boots in the outer office. Rian stood up quickly and Edward groaned, palm of his flesh hand covering one eye. That one eye caught Rian's. "I'll make it up to you," Edward murmured. "I promise."

* * *

Prompt #06 of 25: Lazy Afternoon


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